The Salazars in El Salvador

There is, yet, another twist to the whole Salazar question in El Salvador. Between 1389 and 1412 in both Spain and Portugal there was a great deal of persecution against jews and other "infidels" who did not belong to the Catholic faith. Many jews were forcefully converted, and are often referred to as "Anuzim," the jewish word, or the Castillian "Marrano." I prefer the term "Anuzim," as it expresses the character of rape and forcefulness imposed on those people. What does this have to do with the Salazar?

The reason why we suddenly come accross the Salazar last name in Portugal, and specifically in Lisboa, where every other man's last name is either Borges or Salazar, is because a great deal of jews, fleeing the inquisition and the hate of the kings of Spain, moved to Portugal, and led a secret double life, as "christians" and, truthfully as jews. So that no one would suspect that the last name was jewish, they added the "Sa" prefix to the extremely jewish last name "Lazar." In that case, for instance, Yoshua (Josue in Christian) Lazar, suddenly became Josue Sa-lazar, without the hyphen, of course. So, a significant part of the Salazar in the world are of jewish origins, although they don't know it or like it. I am one of those, and I am Salvadorean. My dad's forefathers came from Lisboa, Portugal. We settled in Santa Ana, and are now an almost extinct group.

I, of course, in keeping with the tradition of secrecy,decided to sign my name without the hyphen (Sa-lazar) because, in any instance, jews are known to have two names: that which designates them in the world, and that which is inscribed in the book of life; so such small controversies don't affect the way my life is led, and much less my spirituality. When my forefathers reached Sefarad (Spain) who knows, fifty, sixty generations ago? They knew their lot was bound to pogroms and persecutions, so the composition of my last name is, yet, another testimony of such destiny.

Israel Salazar has written that the origin of the last name originates somewhere else and that it means something else. I agree with his proposition; but also true is that there is this other element of surprise in the Salazar genealogy.